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M.J. Evans

The Stone of Mercy

Synopsis

"Be it known throughout the land that the rightful heir to the throne of Crystonia will be the wearer of the Silver Breastplate with its four Stones of Light: The Stone of Mercy, The Stone of Courage, The Stone of Integrity and The Stone of Wisdom."
By tradition, the ruler of Crystonia will be the one in possession of the Silver Breastplate. Yet the rightful heir has not appeared and the throne that sits atop Mount Heilodius has stood empty for a century and a half.
The kingdom is being torn apart as the biggest and strongest races battle for control. Even the herd of peace-loving Centaurs has splintered into two factions, one awaiting the promised bearer of the breastplate, the other seeking power and control over the land.
Unbeknownst to all but a very few, the Silver Breastplate has been created. In due course, it is presented to a sixteen-year-old Duende girl named Carling, one of the tiny descendants of the fairies that once filled the land. But the silver breastplate is not complete. In order for its wearer to have the skills to rule the land righteously, the young Duende needs to find the four stones of light that are needed to finish this magical source of power and authority.
This is the riveting story of Carling's quest. She, along with her friends, must risk their lives to save their land and fulfill the assignment given to them to complete the silver breastplate.

Author Biography

I am a wife, a mom and a grandmother. I am also a competitive equestrian and award-winning author. I especially love to write about horses, both real or fantasy. In 2016, I released, "In the Heart of a Mustang." This story is not a fantasy but it is all about horses. This coming of age young adult novel has won the 2016 Gold Medal from the Literary Classics Awards in Young Adult General Fiction and the Silver Medal in the Nautilus Awards as well as the Silver Medal from Readers Favorite Awards.
My current project is a four-part series titled “The Centaur Chronicles”. I am excited about this new middle-grade fantasy. The first book, “The Stone of Mercy,” was released on Oct. 1, 2016. It has already garnered several awards including the Gold Medal from the Feathered Quill awards. The second, “The Stone of Courage,” was released on April 15, 2017 and has won a Book Excellence Award.
Please visit my website: http://www.dancinghorsepress.com

Author Insight

Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism means to give human characteristics to an animal. Since Centaurs are half horse, half human, it seems only obvious that I should use this technique when creating my Centaur characters.
Tibbals is the Centaur on the cover of each of the four "Centaur Chronicles." She was a fun character to create as she is very much a girly girl who dreams of "hoof polish" and bubble baths. Yet she is also strong and loyal.
In this excerpt, you see Tibbals displaying both her horse traits and her human traits.

Book Excerpt

The Stone of Mercy

They ran along the side of the cliff, trying to be as quiet as they could be. Tibbals was continuing to make a ruckus and being as difficult as possible. Her arms were tied behind her back, but she bucked and reared as she shrieked and complained. As concerned as she was, Carling couldn’t help but smile as she observed her friend’s tenacity in action.

The Fauns dragging Tibbals along weren’t as impressed and were clearly getting irritated. “Come on, you stupid Centaur,” growled one as he jerked on the ropes that were wrapped around the filly’s neck. “We don’t have all day, you know.”

“Ouch! You’re hurting me. This rope will probably leave ugly red marks on my neck. I want it off right now!”